Streptococcus pneumoniae

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a species of
Streptococcus that is a
major human pathogen.

It was recognized as a major cause of pneumonia in the 1880s, and is
the subject of many humoral immunity studies.

Morphology

The organism was originally named Diplococcus pneumonia in 1926
because of its characteristic appearance in Gram-stained sputum. It
was renamed Streptococcus pneumoniae in 1974 because of its growth in
chains in liquid media. Because of its role as the etiologic agent of
pneumonia, it has long been known informally as the pneumococcus.

S. pneumonia is the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in
adults, and is one of the top two isolates found in otitis media.
Pneumococcal pneumonia is more common in the very young and the very
old.

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